I really didn't love most of Southern Lao but one thing I did enjoy was my time in Paksong. Paksong is known for it's coffee and it's where nearly all of Laos coffee is grown. As with Vietnam, the french brought the gift of coffee to Lao and Lao has been pumping it out ever since. Though not as good (IMO) as Vietnamese coffee, Lao coffee still has its merits. In Paksong is a Dutch fellow by the name of Koffie who not only offers the only internet in town but also leads a coffee tour and or roasting session. Not only informative and useful but also fun. It was the first tour in quite a while that I actually enjoyed. I can now roast coffee on my own in any kitchen if I ever need to.
Arabica trees
Robusta trees
shade trees, pomelo trees planted to help shade the coffee plants
fields of coffee
green beans, waiting to turn red
turning the green seeds to a shade of brown
as the colors change
sorting the fresh roasted seeds to lose any husks
sorted
my turn. this is where I learned how to prepare and roast from scratch. here we take the dried picked seeds and will mash them
mashing to separate seed from husk
hard at work
mashing
put the mash on a rice shifter
tossing the mash to get rid of the husks and leave the seeds
seeds in the pot
fresh roasted
making a concoction
hard at work still
i didn't try this but here is a weasel coffee stick. certain weasels eat coffee beans and then poop them out. The theory is the weasel takes out bad enzymes from the plant and adds extra good ones for us. I wish I was kidding here but some people really think it's better and others think it's all hype.
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